[Warning 15+]
Author's Notes:
Got an announcement waitin' for ya in the Afterword.
Got an announcement waitin' for ya in the Afterword.
Part Four
"―From Now On, You Better Treat Me with That Same Energy, Too!"
Chapter 127
Glimpses of the Little Sis' Face from the Past
"―From Now On, You Better Treat Me with That Same Energy, Too!"
Chapter 127
Glimpses of the Little Sis' Face from the Past
The Community Center, tucked away on the edge of the countryside at the foot of Tsukinose Shrine, was a wide, single-story buildin' with a classic tiled roof.
At first glance, it looked just like a weathered, old-school Japanese house. If it weren't for the sign out front that read 'Tsukinose Community Center', anyone who didn't live in the village would've totally mistaken it for a regular home.
Just like it looked from the outside, the entrance opened up to a hallway runnin' deep into the buildin'. On the left, there were two big tatami rooms with sliding doors left wide open, and on the right, you had a storage closet, a bathroom, and a utility room—the whole layout felt just like a house.
For the record, the storage closet was packed with spare tables, floor cushions, and even a solid collection of both Igo and Shogi sets. The utility room, about the size of six tatami mats, was basically a kitchen with way more firepower than you’d expect.
Since there wasn't much to do for fun in Tsukinose, the locals were always gatherin' here for banquets every chance they got.
This time, the 'excuse' was a Meetin' for the Summer Festival, but they’d also use stuff like Fire Brigade Meetin's or disaster drills just to have a reason to get together.
Hayato had been gettin' called to these shindigs ever since he started middle school, makin' appetizers for some extra pocket money.
About 20 men had already gathered, so Hayato started whippin' up some easy snacks. He could do this in his sleep.
Lookin' over at the big room, Hayato saw a few empty beer bottles already rollin' around—the party was definitely in full swing.
And the main topic of conversation was, unsurprisingly, Haruki.
"Alright, the edamame and corn are ready to go. Now, who was it that wanted another beer...?"
"Oyo! Over here! Man, I heard the stories from Saki-chan, but you really have changed! For a sec, I didn't even know who you were!"
"I remember how you used to get a kick out of floodin' ant nests with water!"
"And what about the time you tied weeds together on the paths to set traps for people!?"
"Didn't you also try walkin' on top of a fence and end up breakin' it!?"
"G-Geez, stop being so mean! No more beer for anyone talkin' like that!"
As Old Man Gen and the others laughed their heads off teasin' Haruki 'bout the huge change from her kid days, she huffed, yanked back the beer she was about to hand out, and turned her head away with a pout.
Actin' like he couldn't live without it, Kanehachi-san let out a pathetic whine while reachin' for the beer, only to get his hand slapped away by Haruki. Everyone cracked up.
The longtime residents of Tsukinose laughed so hard their wrinkled faces crinkled up even more. The booze was probably helpin' things along too.
"Well, you can't blame 'em for sayin' that. Haru-chan used to be just like a boy—honestly, I totally thought you were one. Whenever you came over to my place, you'd always ask me to go bug huntin', right? Like, who asks a girl to go hunt bugs?"
"Ahahaha! Oh yeah, you'd say stuff like 'I'm gonna take down 💯 cicadas!' and keep goin' until your bug cage was jam-packed!"
"You were always settin' traps for beetles and stags, too!"
"G-Geez, even Hime-chan is gangin' up on me!?"
Hayato watched the whole scene from the kitchen, workin' away with a deep scowl on his face.
Thanks to Himeko's 'follow-up', the new-and-improved Nikaidō Haruki—the one who was nothin' like her old self—was startin' to sink in with the people of Tsukinose.
It was a flawless 'two-faced' act, even calculatin' Haruki's childhood antics into the mix.
Haruki's refined look today in that white one-piece dress made her look like a high-class Japanese maiden, Yamato Nadeshiko—somethin' you didn't see much in the countryside—and nobody was gonna complain 'bout havin' a girl like that pour 'em a drink.
The vibe wasn't bad at all.
Nikaidō Haruki was bein' totally accepted.
Hayato got it on a logical level—he knew this was what they needed.
But for some reason, Hayato just couldn't shake this restless feelin' in his chest. Maybe it was the irritation, but his hand slipped and he ended up manglin' a tomato. Seein' the messy cut just made him scowl even harder.
"U-Um! Big Bro, here's the... ...boar meat... ...I-I soaked it in sake to get rid of the gamey smell..."
"Whoa! Murao-san. Thanks, I didn't know you'd already done the prep work. Just put it over there."
"Y-Yeah, okay!"
Then Saki showed up holdin' some thinly sliced boar meat. Hayato snapped back into work mode.
Lookin' stiff as a board—probably 'cause she was nervous—Saki set the meat down on the counter.
They'd been talkin' a lot in the group chat lately, but I guess when they're face-to-face, things just go right back to bein' awkward like always.
When Hayato locked eyes with Saki, they both just traded those weird, cramped little grins.
"Hah... ...Hey, Hayato, they're sayin' to bring that meat over ASAP."
"Ugh, Haruki... ...I'm just about to start on those spicy meat-wrapped fried tofu rolls they requested. If there ain't enough appetizers, just put out those sliced tomatoes and cucumbers over there."
"Gotcha. Oh, what should I do with these empty bottles I collected?"
"U-Um, I'll take care of those, so please just leave 'em around here."
"Oh, okay. Thanks, Saki-chan."
"O-Okay!"
Saki took the empties from Haruki and hurried off to the bottle crates at the candy shop next door.
Watchin' Saki go, Haruki threw her hands up for a massive stretch, makin' her shoulders pop.
Hayato, his scowl deepenin' even more, muttered under his breath while lookin' the other way.
"...Doesn't all this feel... ...suffocatin'?"
"Ahaha, I'm not gonna deny that."
"..."
"Geez, Hayato, you're way too overprotective."
With that, Haruki flexed a "muscle" like she was sayin' 'Leave it to me' and gave it a little pat.
Then Haruki headed off carryin' the big platters of chilled tomatoes and cucumbers with miso.
After watchin' Haruki's head off, puttin' that 'two-faced' mask back on, Hayato gave his head a firm shake and got down to cookin' the requested dish.
Hayato took some fried tofu cut into just the right size, gave 'em a light dustin' of salt, pepper, and potato starch, topped 'em with minced green onions, and rolled 'em up tight in those thin slices of boar meat they'd prepped to k*ll the smell.
Hayato tossed 'em into a greased-up, sizzlin' pan to get a nice sear, then added a sauce made of soy sauce, mirin, sugar, grated ginger and garlic, and some 'doubanjiang' chili paste, heatin' it all up until it got nice and thick.
The finishing touch—Hayato's personal signature—was wrappin' each one in a 'shiso' leaf and sprinkle' on some white sesame seeds.
"Alright," Hayato thought, feelin' pretty good about how it turned out, when he noticed Saki peekin' over at him, her pigtails twitchin' nervously.
Saki's eyes kept dartin' back and forth between Hayato's face and the big platter of spicy meat-wrapped fried tofu, lookin' like she was totally lost on what to do.
Hayato could tell Saki was tryin' to offer some help, but that only made him look just as confused.
Up until now, Saki hardly ever showed her face at these kinds of hangouts.
At most, Saki'd just drop by to deliver drinks or extra ingredients from the candy shop when her family asked her to, and even if she ran into Hayato, they'd just give each other a polite little nod. That's why he had no clue how to handle the situation.
But then, Hayato gave it another thought.
Both Saki and Himeko are besties. Just like how both Hayato and Haruki used to be.
Suddenly, Hayato was hit with a memory of that past breakup. It'd happened so outta the blue.
Hayato remembered feelin' nothin' but total emptiness back then; Everythin' he did felt pointless, and he'd just spent his days driftin' along with the flow.
(Oh, I get it now......)
Saki must've gone through that same kind of loneliness, for sure.
Saki's everyday life just crumbled away, and her heart's been left all fragile. Just like Hayato was back then.
Hayato could totally get why Saki'd been askin' to start a group chat lately, and why she was tryin' so hard to help out—it hit him so hard it actually hurt.
Once that thought clicked, Hayato found it harder and harder to just see Saki's problems as someone else's business.
Hayato let out a little cough.
"Murao-san, mind helping me carry these?"
"Whoa! Yeah, Big Bro!"
As soon as he saw Saki's face light up with pure joy, Hayato couldn't help but crack a smile too.
And when Saki trotted over close to Hayato, for some reason, his hand just naturally reached out and headed straight for her head.
"Fueh!?"
"Cr*p! S-Sorry!"
"N-No, it's... ...it's fine, though..."
"It's just that Himeko... ...Oh, never mind, forget it."
It was a total reflex move.
Saki was so blindsided by the head pat that her entire face, ears, and even her neck turned bright red.
As Hayato stared at the hand he'd just used, for some reason, he saw glimpses of Himeko's face from back then, overlapin' with the memory of Haruki in tears.
So, Hayato just forced a smile to brush off the awkwardness.
"Shall we?"
At Hayato's call, Saki could only give a silent, stiff little nod.
Author's Notes:
It's official—Volume 3 is a go, and Volume 1 is gettin' a reprint!
They say most series out there can't even climb over the 'Volume 2 Wall', so I'm breathin' a huge sigh of relief here.
This makes it the fourth print run for Volume 1. Guess a lot of folks got hooked once Volume 2 hit the shelves, huh?
Check the activity report for all the deets.
As for how to celebrate the new volume and the reprint—if you've read this far, you already know the drill, right?
Yep, just head over to the reviews and give me a big ol' 'Meow'!!
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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